Information about Titanic the musical

[matineeidol2013]

Posted: 7/22/10 at 11:25am

Like my thread about the original production of "A Little Night Music", I am very interested in general information, tid bits and(maybe??)scandel regarding the Broadway production of Titanic. I have the libretto (a glorious picture book: I highly recommend you take a look at it if you've never seen it!) and the OBC. Yeston wrote a thrilling score for the show. I saw the production on tour in Pittsburgh back in 2000, but was only 10 years old at the time and dont remember much about it.

Posted: 7/22/10 at 11:58am

I thought it was OK but I think it comes off better on disk than stage. I thought the direction bogged it down- some sequences staged too elaborately (Showing multiple levels of the ship at once for example) and some way too minimally (Not showing the ship as the passenger ooh, ah and board in the "ship of Dreams" number).

I think if a future revival focused on the characters and not the hydraulics, it might be successful, but fear that a semi-staged concert is the best we can hope for, someday.

To me, the most effective moment in the piece was the passengers gathered in the grand salon complaining about being awakened when suddenly the rolling drink cart starts to roll as the bow of the ship starts to sink.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 7/22/10 at 12:07pm

I remember they were having lots of technical difficulties during previews. The set wasn't working properly, and there were many nights, when, according to the cast, they "rewrote history" since the ship didn't sink that night. They opened to solid, if not fabulous, reviews, and the box office was somewhat tepid. Many in the general public were disappointed it was not a stage version of the film, which had just come out. Rosie O'Donnell became the show's biggest public supporter, and had the cast on numerous times and talked about the show constantly. The show went on to win 5 Tony Awards and had a respectable run, though I don't think it ever recouped.

The score remains glorious and the voices in that original cast were top notch. My two favorite performances in the show came from two, at the time, relatively unknown performers- Brian D'Arcy James and Victoria Clark, both of whom deserved Tony nominations for their work. Michael Cerveris and David Garrison were also wonderful.

In terms of the production, I remember a couple of wonderfully staged moments- the first being the aforementioned sliding cart at the top of act 2. Beautiful visual. The other was the heartbreaking scene during We'll Meet Tomorrow, when they were literally pulling people off of each other.

Posted: 7/22/10 at 12:11pm

Yes- I saw it later in the run when the hydraulics were somewhat more reliable. But heard many reports of long delays while things were fixed or stage announcements that the boat was going to stay afloat tonight.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 7/22/10 at 12:12pm

I really liked the production and saw it for the first time the night before it won the Tony for Best Musical. I ended up seeing the Broadway production 9 times (including it's final performance). I love the score and found the opening number to be especially memorable. The stunning opening number always gave me chills and the glorious ensemble singing brought tears to my eyes. I remember the ovation that particular number received when it finished. There were no weak links in the cast, though I especially liked Jennifer Peich (Kate McGowan), Victoria Clark (Alice Beane) and Brian d'Arcy James. One of my other favorite numbers was, "We'll Meet Tomorrow" and I'm disappointed that "The Staircase" number didn't make it onto any of the cast recordings. The set design kind of looked on the cheap side though.

I attended the poorly produced and conceived concert version last month in NYC. Although it did remind me how much I appreciate the score. I own not only the OBC, but the German and Dutch cast recordings as well (all are wonderful).

Updated On: 7/22/10 at 12:12 PM

[morosco]

Posted: 7/22/10 at 12:19pm

Thrilling opening number on the OCR up until the character of the Bellboy shatters the moment.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 7/22/10 at 12:20pm

"Many in the general public were disappointed it was not a stage version of the film, which had just come out."

That can't be true 'cause the TITANIC musical opened in April 1997. The film's release was slated for that summer but was pushed back 'til December due to rising post-production costs. Either way, the musical opened first, thus it had no initial comparisons with the movie for the first 8 months.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 7/22/10 at 12:20pm

Many in the general public were disappointed it was not a stage version of the film, which had just come out.

Actually, the musical opened 7 or 8 months before the film and ran nearly two years, so I don't think that was really the problem.

I absolutely LOVED this show. I agree that a couple of the set pieces could have been better, but I thought the multi-level set was stunning. The end of the first act was beautifully staged and incredibly effective (from the orchestra seats, anyway) and the finale reduced me to a blubbering mess. I later saw the show on tour, but the reduced staging didn't work so well for me.

[newintown]

Posted: 7/22/10 at 12:22pm

I saw the Broadway production four times; had friends in the cast, and it was by far my favorite show that season.

The book and score are perfect. The design, elegant and very stylized, confused and bothered many people.

A lot of negative comment was based on what the show wasn't; for instance, the end of Act I was a gorgeous view from afar of the ship sailing offstage to meet its doom. Many people, for their own reasons, thought that they were supposed to see the ship hit the iceberg onstage at that moment, and assumed that something broke. However, that's not what was supposed to happen there.

Some people criticized the show for not featuring a central character or couple (like the awful DiCaprio movie); once again, this was not what the show was - it was a terrific impressionistic tapestry of the many types of people in this experience.

The moment at the end, when the survivors walked through the memory of the dead at the launch always choked me up.

[D2]

Posted: 7/22/10 at 12:27pm

Yes, Stagey, but after the movie opened and became such a "titanic" hit (pun intended), it helped the musical, which was already doing good business, move into the sellout list of shows. And that's when the reports started coming out about audience members being disappointed because it wasn't the movie on stage.

I loved the show when I saw it in late previews, the night all the changes that ultimately became the final show went in. I agree that for all the expense, the show looked cheap and wasn't very well directed, but the score is gorgeous, the book is solid and the performances from the cast were extraordinary.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 7/22/10 at 12:32pm

That's why I said it had no INITIAL comparisons with the movie. adamgreer made it seem like they opened around the same time.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 7/22/10 at 12:40pm

Additionally, Titanic had two distinct qualities the were so superior, I had failed to notice them in other shows previously: music direction and orchestrations. The orchestrations were sublime. The sound of that score had a cinematic quality that somehow created this sense of atmosphere and occasion that was utterly perfect for every scene. And the use of brass was particularly brilliant. Vocally, it was the best ensemble I've ever heard in any show. Every cutoff was precise, every syllable was crystal clear and the use of dynamics (not accurately represented on the OBC, but more so on the German and Dutch recordings) was surprising and incredibly effective. The composers, musicians, orchestrator, music director and cast put the score front and center, which is really what made it all work. The visuals and book were uneven...but that score! Genius.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 7/22/10 at 12:40pm

Sorry for the confusion. I know one opened before the other, but I definitely remember reports of people being disappointed it wasn't the film onstage. They just obviously happened later in the run than I thought.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 7/22/10 at 12:46pm

Mister Matt, you hit the nail on the head describing the orchestrations to this show. Truly marvelous orchestrations.

[philly03]

Posted: 7/22/10 at 12:50pm

I agree wth MisterMatt. It was the score that really made the show. Wasn't my favourite of the season, but it's hard to not like a score that has so many gems in it. Personal favourite is "Lady's Maid."

I actually liked the set, thought they did some cool effects with it (like the floor sloping... I remember they had on the Tony Awards that year all the different design elements describe what they did). DIdn't the lobby of the Lunt also have all the names or something painted around the lobby?

Edit - I also remember after the movie was released TOURISTS assumed it was based off the movie, which of course it was not. But it wasn't until after the film!

Also, they did do the best they could with the book considering everyone knows the ship is going to sink at the end. Updated On: 7/22/10 at 12:50 PM

Posted: 7/22/10 at 1:04pm

Yes- the lobby listed all the victims of the tragedy. In addition to people complaining that "Jack & Rose" weren't listed, there were people crying and touching the names.

And I should add- while I liked it, my date that evening remarked 'Well that's three hours of my life I'll never get back."

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/22/10 at 1:05pm

This is one of those shows that I went to begrudgingly. I was not frequenting NY as I am now, and saw only a few shows each year and relied heavily on the Tony Awards to help inform my decisions. I was utterly bored by the number they performed -- which if memory serves me was the opening number.

My HS students picked this as one of their shows for our annual NY weekend. I wasn't really expecting much -- but I get to go for free, so what the heck!

I remember being initially struck by the interior of the lobby. On the walls were the passenger lists, from First Class down to Third Class. An asterisk was placed next to the name of the survivors. It was chilling to see the number of asterisks dramatically drop as you looked from 1st to 3rd Class. Very sobering and chilling. Set a great mood.

I loved the show...except for the red l.e.d. lights for the clock that flanked the stage to keep the audience abreast of the time of the action. I mean, really...digital clock?????

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 7/22/10 at 1:07pm

As far as the set, I was told that a majority of the time and budget for scenery went into the mechanics of it all, with the result that the actual look of it came off as somewhat cheap.

As Mr. Alessandrini put it:

"We wink and pretend
We're eyeing a ship at starboard
Though millions were spent
Our set looks a lot like cardboard."

And

"Lift up the drops, let go the lines
Our painted flats and flat designs
Look like they're from a high school show
In your home town"

And I loved when that sketch went to "the other side of the ship where there's a movie going on."

[ObiHave]

Posted: 7/22/10 at 1:09pm

I agree with the poster who would like to see more characterization in a new production. I've always thought it would work well with steel girders and projections. I personally thought the miniature ship sailing was a little cheesy. But the score is IMO classy and I would watch this anytime over the film. The actual sinking was simple but effective.

[byebyebaby12]

Posted: 7/22/10 at 1:12pm

Crying? Really?

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/22/10 at 1:14pm

I'd forgotten about the miniature ship! Gosh, that WAS awful! (Maybe I blocked it out?

I still marvel at the amount of SPACE needed for the actual sinking of the set.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 7/22/10 at 1:17pm

I also thought the miniature ship was really cheesy. It seemed like an afterthought, really.

Not since the original production of Les Miserables have I heard a chorus sound as gorgeous and precise as this one did.

[DirtyRottenGirl]

Posted: 7/22/10 at 1:27pm

There were so many things they did amazing and some things not so much. We have covered orchestrations which were fantastic. They hydrolics that people have complained about really made the second act. I loved how the boat with tipped for the second act. It made things much more realistic. So many great actors/actresses were a part of the cast. There were a couple of characters that I thought were unnecessary (old couple). If they are to be included in future revivals then they need to add more. Great costumes! The book was weak. In the second act I remember thinking please just sink. Also to add the tour version was not even worth seeing. The sets and everything were nothing in comparison. Very grateful that i saw it on Broadway and in Chicago. My favorite numbers include the opening. Even though its long I love when openings introduce the characters. I also enjoyed "Lady's Maid", "The Barret's Song," and "The proposal/The Night Was Alive."

[matineeidol2013]

Posted: 7/22/10 at 1:28pm

http://www.bluegobo.com/content/production.php?var=2882083

thank you bluegobo!!! very nice video clips of the production on this page. I tear up listening to "Godspeed, Titanic". Too beautiful.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 7/22/10 at 1:39pm

I think one of the things I didn't like about the production was that little kid running back and forth in the opening number. What was the purpose of him anyway?